Chicago

No Carve, No Waste, Pumpkin Decorating

It's estimated that 40% of the food grown in the U.S. is wasted. That's $165 billion dollars worth of food that ends up in our landfills each year, taking with it all the water, nutrients, labor and energy that was used to produce it.

These no-carve pumpkin decorations are stylish, simple to make and preserve the flesh of the pumpkin, so they can go from decoration to dessert with zero waste. Buy pie (aka: sugar) pumpkins instead of carving pumpkins for the sweetest, smoothest flesh. Uncarved and kept indoors, pumpkins can be edible up to three months.

If cooking pumpkins isn't your thing, they can also be composted. Break or cut them up first so they break down easier. Don't have a backyard compost? Join SCARCE on Nov. 3rd for their annual Pumpkin Smash! It's a free, fun way to get your gourds composted. Note that painted pumpkins are not compostable.